<p>It all began with a simple resolve by an individual to provide the poor with some clothing––old clothing, discarded by the haves.<br /><br />Today, Goonj, with its 10 branches nationwide and thousands of volunteers has become a widely-known and respected organisation which functions as a channel for a wide range of used products which help improve the quality of life for the poor. It also has 250 partner organisations.<br /><br />Founder-Director of Goonj Anshu Gupta had always wondered why clothing––among the three recognised basic needs of roti, kapda and makaan––received so little attention from both governments as well as charitable organisations.<br /><br />“People talk and write about the number of dead whenever disasters like an earthquake or floods strike. But what about deaths from exposure to cold during winters that happen regularly among the poor who can’t afford warm clothes and blankets?” he asks.<br /><br />Lack of clothing is the most glaring indicator of poverty yet, so few of us recognise it, he says. Even if we give away clothes, it is often what we no longer need or has become unwearable and old. So, in effect, most of us discard clothes rather than donate them, he feels. Also, this charity with clothes generally doesn’t reach out to the countless people who are in dire need of it because it typically begins with our maid and ends with the driver, he remarks.<br /><br />These were the observations and concerns that drove Gupta into founding Goonj in 1998 (formally, 1999) as a small centre for collecting clothes and distributing them to the rural poor. <br /><br />More than clothes<br />Initially, the issue was clothing. But the founder’s vision expanded as different kinds of donations started coming in and so did the scope of work. So, currently, Goonj handles 80 to 100 tonnes of material a month. These include clothes, utensils, footwear, shoes, suitcases, bags, furniture, bicycles, old PCs, sewing machines, etc.<br /><br />The clothes which cannot be used as they are get recycled into about 30 to 35 varieties of products, including one which pays attention to a badly neglected area of female hygiene among the poor––clean sanitary napkins. Vastra Samman is a nationwide collection drive and important initiative of Goonj which is picking up well even in Karnataka.<br /><br />So, now, with its range of goods, Goonj does more than clothe the needy. It also improves their living standards and empowers them in many ways. For example, three old sewing machines or PCs can help start a tailoring or computer centre in a village. A discarded generator was used to electrify an entire village in Assam.<br /><br />Today, Goonj’s network of 10 branches spread over parts of 21 states also includes a growing presence in Karnataka with an office in Bangalore’s Hosur Road. There are over 70 collection centres nationwide where individuals can drop off the items they want to give away. There are hotels and big companies which send used products in trucks and vans.<br /><br />The Karnataka centre<br />As is the normal practice of Goonj, the Karnataka centre was initially built with volunteers. Today, there are six full-time persons working for it in Bangalore besides hundreds of volunteers. These include students, employees of corporates in their individual capacity and other social service-minded individuals.<br /><br />Again, this office was not built with anything purchased for its requirements. The Bangalore processing centre was set up with contributed material like office furniture and other necessary items. The response has been very encouraging because several individuals are sending in used stuff. <br /><br />Besides, many corporate houses/companies including leading software ones are conducting campaigns and sending loads of stuff on a regular basis. As the main target beneficiaries of Goonj are rural poor, the material has been sent to the needy in Chikmagalur, BR Hills and areas around Bangalore.<br /><br />The first priority for Goonj is villages and the second, urban slums. However, whoever the recipient, one should be sensitive about their feelings, points out Gupta. Thus, the act of giving should be not about the owner’s pride, but the receiver’s dignity. Especially because the villagers have a sense of self-respect. “Which is why begging is more of a city phenomenon and hardly seen in villages,” he points out.<br /><br />So, one should give thoughtfully. Thus, giving away sarees and salwar-kameezes makes better sense than jeans and T-shirts since the former is what village women wear. Also, Goonj receives a great deal of carelessly given away stuff––which ranges from dirty underwear to pyjamas without strings and trousers with zips missing or broken.<br /><br />If we were to consider the receiver’s sense of self-respect we would not do this. Clean, wearable, durable clothes in good condition are what we should take care to give away. In fact, this applies to a gift or donation of any item. Such an act dignifies both the giver and receiver. Log on goonj.org for details.</p>
<p>It all began with a simple resolve by an individual to provide the poor with some clothing––old clothing, discarded by the haves.<br /><br />Today, Goonj, with its 10 branches nationwide and thousands of volunteers has become a widely-known and respected organisation which functions as a channel for a wide range of used products which help improve the quality of life for the poor. It also has 250 partner organisations.<br /><br />Founder-Director of Goonj Anshu Gupta had always wondered why clothing––among the three recognised basic needs of roti, kapda and makaan––received so little attention from both governments as well as charitable organisations.<br /><br />“People talk and write about the number of dead whenever disasters like an earthquake or floods strike. But what about deaths from exposure to cold during winters that happen regularly among the poor who can’t afford warm clothes and blankets?” he asks.<br /><br />Lack of clothing is the most glaring indicator of poverty yet, so few of us recognise it, he says. Even if we give away clothes, it is often what we no longer need or has become unwearable and old. So, in effect, most of us discard clothes rather than donate them, he feels. Also, this charity with clothes generally doesn’t reach out to the countless people who are in dire need of it because it typically begins with our maid and ends with the driver, he remarks.<br /><br />These were the observations and concerns that drove Gupta into founding Goonj in 1998 (formally, 1999) as a small centre for collecting clothes and distributing them to the rural poor. <br /><br />More than clothes<br />Initially, the issue was clothing. But the founder’s vision expanded as different kinds of donations started coming in and so did the scope of work. So, currently, Goonj handles 80 to 100 tonnes of material a month. These include clothes, utensils, footwear, shoes, suitcases, bags, furniture, bicycles, old PCs, sewing machines, etc.<br /><br />The clothes which cannot be used as they are get recycled into about 30 to 35 varieties of products, including one which pays attention to a badly neglected area of female hygiene among the poor––clean sanitary napkins. Vastra Samman is a nationwide collection drive and important initiative of Goonj which is picking up well even in Karnataka.<br /><br />So, now, with its range of goods, Goonj does more than clothe the needy. It also improves their living standards and empowers them in many ways. For example, three old sewing machines or PCs can help start a tailoring or computer centre in a village. A discarded generator was used to electrify an entire village in Assam.<br /><br />Today, Goonj’s network of 10 branches spread over parts of 21 states also includes a growing presence in Karnataka with an office in Bangalore’s Hosur Road. There are over 70 collection centres nationwide where individuals can drop off the items they want to give away. There are hotels and big companies which send used products in trucks and vans.<br /><br />The Karnataka centre<br />As is the normal practice of Goonj, the Karnataka centre was initially built with volunteers. Today, there are six full-time persons working for it in Bangalore besides hundreds of volunteers. These include students, employees of corporates in their individual capacity and other social service-minded individuals.<br /><br />Again, this office was not built with anything purchased for its requirements. The Bangalore processing centre was set up with contributed material like office furniture and other necessary items. The response has been very encouraging because several individuals are sending in used stuff. <br /><br />Besides, many corporate houses/companies including leading software ones are conducting campaigns and sending loads of stuff on a regular basis. As the main target beneficiaries of Goonj are rural poor, the material has been sent to the needy in Chikmagalur, BR Hills and areas around Bangalore.<br /><br />The first priority for Goonj is villages and the second, urban slums. However, whoever the recipient, one should be sensitive about their feelings, points out Gupta. Thus, the act of giving should be not about the owner’s pride, but the receiver’s dignity. Especially because the villagers have a sense of self-respect. “Which is why begging is more of a city phenomenon and hardly seen in villages,” he points out.<br /><br />So, one should give thoughtfully. Thus, giving away sarees and salwar-kameezes makes better sense than jeans and T-shirts since the former is what village women wear. Also, Goonj receives a great deal of carelessly given away stuff––which ranges from dirty underwear to pyjamas without strings and trousers with zips missing or broken.<br /><br />If we were to consider the receiver’s sense of self-respect we would not do this. Clean, wearable, durable clothes in good condition are what we should take care to give away. In fact, this applies to a gift or donation of any item. Such an act dignifies both the giver and receiver. Log on goonj.org for details.</p>
